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Veer Agarwal has done more to combat food insecurity and food waste in the past year than other do in their lifetimes.

Agarwal is a rising senior and the founder of the ResQFood Club at Livingston High School. He founded the club, and recognized nonprofit organization, to bridge the gap between food waste and food insecurity. He was interviewed on My9’s “New Jersey Now” program with journalist Mark Bonamo. The episode aired Sunday. Veer entered into a partnership with Table to Table last year in order to increase his reach and rescue more food.

“This partnership took us to a whole new level. We were able to operationalize our success,” Agarwal said. “We were trained by Table to Table on how to best pick up and deliver food and were able to track all of our food rescues using the Table to Table I-Rescue App. That app made it much easier to quantify the number of food rescues we completed, the pounds of food we donated, and the environmental impact we’ve had as a result of the rescues. Whenever we needed help, Table to Table was always there to support us.”

Agarwal founded ResQFood with a few friends rescuing food. Since then it’s expanded to 38 volunteers, who have performed 380 rescues and donated 20,000 pounds of nutritious food.

Agarwal was recognized with the President’s Volunteer Service Award’s highest honor—the Lifetime Achievement Award thanks to his volunteer food rescue efforts with Table to Table.

Table to Table Executive Director Heather Thompson and Veer Agarwal, founder of ResQFood.

Signing up to be a Table to Table volunteer is easy. Julie Kinner, Table to Table’s VP of Operations, said all you have to do is download the Table to Table I-Rescue app, powered by Food Rescue Hero, on your phone to become a food rescue hero! You’ll complete a simple registration process and volunteer agreement, and then you can get started. The app walks you through every step! This is what Veer and his team uses.

Volunteers of all ages are welcome to volunteer with our food rescue program. However, the driver must have a valid driver’s license, and a valid vehicle registration and insurance. 

Since we launched, more than 350 volunteers have completed more than 9,600 rescues and delivered more than 2 million pounds of donated food that would have been thrown away.

As New Jersey’s first and largest food rescue, our mission is to reduce food waste and provide nourishment to our food-insecure neighbors throughout North Jersey. We rescue millions of pounds of fresh food annually that would otherwise be wasted and end up in landfills, contributing to climate change. We deliver it to partner organizations who support the nearly 1 million people in our area who need it most.

Together, we can reduce food waste in our home and make a positive impact on the planet. Every little bit of effort—no matter how small–leads to change.

August 4, 2025 – Saddle Brook, NJ – The Partners for Health Foundation has awarded Table to Table, New Jersey’s first and largest food rescue nonprofit, a generous $50,000 grant in support of its 26-year-old mission to reduce food waste and feed individuals and families facing food insecurity throughout northern New Jersey. Table to Table was one of 12 organizations that received grants from the foundation to support direct services and general operations to address health inequities throughout northern Essex County.

“We are incredibly grateful for this generous grant, which supports Table to Table’s mission to keep quality food out of landfills, and provide nourishment to children, families, seniors and veterans who worry about getting their next meal,” said Heather Thompson, executive director, Table to Table. “We are eager to expand our food donor, community partner, and volunteer networks in northern Essex County, allowing us to rescue and deliver more healthy, perishable food that helps improve the lives and health of residents throughout northern Essex County.” Thompson concluded.

“We’re proud to stand alongside nonprofits like Table to Table that make a real difference every day — expanding access to the resources people need to thrive,” said Pam Scott, Executive Director, Partners for Health Foundation. “We look forward to a productive and meaningful partnership,” Scott concluded.

Reliable access to free, nutritious food plays a critical role in individual, family, and community health. It lowers risk of obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and other chronic diseases that are more prevalent among individuals facing food insecurity; and healthy food access supports stronger academic/work performance and relieves stress for families facing financial constraints.  Unfortunately, the healthiest foods are often the most expensive, and many traditional pantries primarily offer only shelf-stable items, making it difficult for people relying on these distributions to sustain a healthy diet. Table to Table helps bridge this gap by delivering fresh food, a majority of which is fresh vegetables, fruit, and dairy.

About Table to Table 

Table to Table (http://www.tabletotable.org) is New Jersey’s first and largest food rescue nonprofit, bridging the gap between food being wasted and people facing food insecurity. We bring rescued fresh, nutritious food to 303 community partners, including social service organizations, pantries, shelters, fresh produce markets and centralized distribution hubs. Food is provided free of charge. Through this, Table to Table touches a diversity of those in need, including families, children, veterans, and older adults, making good nutrition accessible while serving as a stimulus for other longer-term benefits. Since 1999 we have rescued more than 120,700 tons of nutritious food—enough for 241,400,846 million meals—and delivered it to our neighbors in need, saving over 544 metric tons of methane saved.

Press Contact: 

Maria Sinopoli, Director of Marketing Communications 

msinopoli@tabletotable.org 

What’s better than a refreshing glass of lemonade?

Is there anything better than a delicious, refreshing glass of ice-cold lemonade on a hot summer day?

While lemonade is a delicious way to quench your thirst, it’s also a way to help feed others who do not have regular access to nutritious food.

Two northern New Jersey siblings from Westfield donated enough proceeds from their lemonade stands last year to rescue enough healthy food for 200 meals!

“Thank you for all of your efforts to rescue food and feed those who need it,” the children’s parents said in a note to us.

Manning a lemonade stand is just one easy way kids can volunteer to help Table to Table. Volunteering with Table to Table is easy. We offer many opportunities, including with our I-Rescue app!

If you’re interested in helping Table to Table in a way we haven’t mentioned, including hosting a lemonade stand and donating the proceeds, we’d love to hear from you.

Please visit our volunteer page, complete the form, and someone will get in touch with you. Thank you for your interest in our mission.

Volunteer

Table to Table is New Jersey’s first and largest food rescue nonprofit, bridging the gap between food being wasted and people facing food insecurity. We work with food businesses of all types to rescued fresh, nutritious surplus food, and deliver it for free to 300+ social service organizations, pantries, shelters, community produce markets and centralized distribution hubs. Through our community partnerships, Table to Table reaches families, children, veterans, older adults, and others in need, improving food security, nutritional access, and better health. Since 1999 we have rescued more than 120,700 tons of nutritious food—enough for 241,400,846 million meals—and delivered it to our neighbors in need, while also saving over 544 metric tons of methane from impacting climate change by preventing food waste.

An estimated 126 million pounds of food, worth about $400 million, will go uneaten this during the Fourth of July weekend. That is about 20 percent of the food meant to be eaten this Independence Day, according to ReFED, a national nonprofit working to end food waste by leveraging data and connecting individuals to help foster large-scale change within the food ecosystem. ReFED calculated the amount based on a survey conducted by the American Farm Bureau Federation.

The most popular, and costly, type of wasted food is beef. More than half of the methane emissions from wasted food on Independence Day come from beef, according to ReFED. These emissions are equal to the emissions generated by powering 50,000 American homes for a year. Other high-waste foods include ice cream, pork, and potato chips.

The waste associated with the Independence Day holiday does not just occur when consumers fail to eat it. It can be measured throughout the food ecosystem lifecycle. The wasted used to produce this food can supply about 14 days of residential waster use throughout the state of California, according to ReFED.

Fourth of July Food Waste Reduction Tips

  • Buy only what you need: Plan out your meal ahead of time. That way, you only buy what you know people want. You also avoid impulse buying. You reduce food waste and save money!
  • Storage is key: Explore the best way to store different types of produce to keep them fresh for as long as possible – learn what goes on the counter, what belongs in bags, what should or shouldn’t be pre-washed. And don’t forget about your freezer. Many foods can be frozen for later use, like rolls and hamburger and hot dog meat.
  • Love your leftovers: Make sure you eat your leftovers. Instead of letting them droop in the back of the fridge, try folding them into new meals. Got some roasted veggies from last night’s dinner? Throw them into an omelet for breakfast or a salad for lunch. Leftover chicken? Shred it up and make tacos or toss it into a stir-fry.

Table to Table is New Jersey’s first and largest food rescue nonprofit, bridging the gap between food being wasted and people facing food insecurity. We work with food businesses of all types to rescued fresh, nutritious surplus food, and deliver it for free to 300+ social service organizations, pantries, shelters, community produce markets and centralized distribution hubs. Through our community partnerships, Table to Table reaches families, children, veterans, older adults, and others in need, improving food security, nutritional access, and better health. Since 1999 we have rescued more than 120,700 tons of nutritious food—enough for 241,400,846 million meals—and delivered it to our neighbors in need, while also saving over 544 metric tons of methane from impacting climate change by preventing food waste.

The United States’ food system is broken. David Cutrona is doing his part to fix it.

Our June Volunteer Spotlight is showcasing Cutrona and his work as an I-Rescue App volunteer. He has been volunteering with us since January.

“I volunteer because our food system is broken,” Cutrona said. “Table to Table’s food rescue missions allow individuals to help tackle this large-scale problem.”

Volunteering Like David Cutrona Does

Cutrona rescues healthy, nutritious food from grocery stores, farmers markets, wholesalers, and other food service businesses and delivers it to churches, senior centers, daycares, and smaller nonprofits, who distribute it to the individuals they serve.

Signing up to be a Table to Table volunteer is easy. Julie Kinner, Table to Table’s Vice President of Operations, said all you have to do is download the Table to Table I-Rescue app, powered by Food Rescue Hero, on your phone to become a food rescue hero! You’ll complete a simple registration process and volunteer agreement, and then you can get started. The app walks you through every step!

Volunteers of all ages are welcome to volunteer with our food rescue program. However, the driver must have a valid driver’s license, and a valid vehicle registration and insurance. 

Since we launched, more than 350 volunteers have completed more than 9,600 rescues and delivered more than 2 million pounds of donated food that would have been thrown away.

As New Jersey’s first and largest food rescue, our mission is to reduce food waste and provide nourishment to our food-insecure neighbors throughout North Jersey. We rescue millions of pounds of fresh food annually that would otherwise be wasted and end up in landfills, contributing to climate change. We deliver it to partner organizations who support the nearly 1 million people in our area who need it most.

Together, we can reduce food waste in our home and make a positive impact on the planet. Every little bit of effort—no matter how small—leads to change.

Funds Raised Help Reduce Food Waste and Deliver Enough Food for More Than 23,000 Meals to Food Insecure Neighbors

Saddle Brook, NJ  June 20, 2025 — Table to Table, New Jersey’s first food rescue organization, salutes the students at Godwin and Highland Elementary Schools in Midland Park, NJ with the 2024-2025 Bernard and Geraldine Segal Foundation Award for Student Philanthropy in support of Table to Table’s Bag a Lunch, Help a Bunch initiative, which invites participants to bring a bagged lunch to school for a day, a week, or more, and donate what they would have spent on lunch to help Table to Table reduce food waste and feed those who need it most.   

“What an impressive team! The students of Godwin and Highland Elementary Schools have stepped up as true community champions,” said Heather Thompson, Executive Director of Table to Table. “Thanks to their incredible support of Bag a Lunch, Help a Bunch, we’ll be able to rescue food for more than 23,000 meals—reducing food waste and bringing nourishment to thousands of our New Jersey neighbors. Their leadership is a powerful reminder that the future is in great hands. We’re proud to honor them with the 2024-2025 Bernard and Geraldine Segal Foundation Award for Student Philanthropy,” Thompson concluded. 

Through the kindness of The Bernard and Geraldine Segal Foundation, a challenge grant of $30,000 among all Bag a Lunch, Help a Bunch participating schools in Northern NJ was established. Of the dozens of schools that participated in the 2024-2025 school year, Godwin and Highland Elementary Schools were the top fundraisers. The funds raised will rescue and deliver enough food for 23,000 healthy meals for those in need throughout Northern NJ. That number, along with funds raised by the other schools, was generously doubled by the Bernard and Geraldine Segal Foundation. 

“On behalf of Godwin and Highland Elementary Schools, we are honored to be the recipient of the 2024-2025 Bernard and Geraldine Segal Foundation Award for Student Philanthropy in support of Table to Table’s Bag a Lunch, Help a Bunch,” said Danielle Bache, Principal of Godwin Elementary School. “We always encourage our students to make a difference in their communities, so we were more than thrilled to hear that our efforts provided enough food for 23,000 meals. I am so proud of these students,” Bache concluded.   

Schools have been key partners in our efforts to end food waste and end hunger for more than 25 years, engaging the next generation of Food Rescue Heroes to take action. Our School Partnerships webpage outlines all the ways schools and students can get involved. Participating schools can make a big impact and can use these activities to earn points through the Sustainable Jersey Schools Certification Program. As an added bonus, our school partners will receive an exclusive Digital Educational Toolkit with grade-specific (Pre-K-8th Grade) lesson plans, activities and videos to help students learn about food waste and food donations.

Bag a Lunch, Help a Bunch is made possible by generous sponsors including, Presenting Sponsor: Inserra Supermarkets; Gold Sponsors: Eisai USA Foundation, Kearny Bank, and Benjamin Moore; Silver Sponsors: BAE Systems, Cross River Bank, Hikma, Macy’s/Bloomingdales, Takasago, and The Children’s Place; Bronze Sponsors: DoorDash, Freedom Bank, Peapack-Gladstone Bank, and PNC Bank.

To help Table to Table in their mission to reduce food waste and address food insecurity in New Jersey, Donate Now! For more information on Table to Table, visit us at www.tabletotable.org. 

About Table to Table 

Table to Table is New Jersey’s first and largest food rescue nonprofit, bridging the gap between food being wasted and people facing food insecurity. We work with food businesses of all types to rescued fresh, nutritious surplus food, and deliver it for free to 300+ social service organizations, pantries, shelters, community produce markets and centralized distribution hubs. Through our community partnerships, Table to Table reaches families, children, veterans, older adults, and others in need, improving food security, nutritional access, and better health. Since 1999 we have rescued more than 120,700 tons of nutritious food—enough for 241,400,846 million meals—and delivered it to our neighbors in need, while also saving over 544 metric tons of methane from impacting climate change by preventing food waste. 

Contact: 

Maria Sinopoli, Director of Marketing Communications: msinopoli@tabletotable.org 

Click Below To View BC The Mag’s Gallery

Photo Gallery

The Behind The Seams Fashion Show Benefitting Table to Table was Held at Bottagra Restaurant

Editor’s note: BC The Mag covered the Behind The Seams Fashion Show at Bottagra Wednesday. For more photos from the event, visit BC The Mag’s website.

Table to Table is New Jersey’s first and largest food rescue nonprofit, bridging the gap between food being wasted and people facing food insecurity. We bring rescued fresh, nutritious food to 303 community partners, including social service organizations, pantries, shelters, fresh produce markets and centralized distribution hubs. Food is provided free of charge. Through this, Table to Table touches a diversity of those in need, including families, children, veterans, and older adults, making good nutrition accessible while serving as a stimulus for other longer-term benefits. Since 1999 we have rescued more than 120,700 tons of nutritious food—enough for 241,400,846 million meals—and delivered it to our neighbors in need, saving over 544 metric tons of methane saved.

Related:

Pantry Announces Partnership with Table to Table to Expand Food Access and Reduce Food Local Waste

Editor’s note: This excerpt about Table to Table’s new partnership with the Montville Kiwanis Food Pantry originally appeared on Montville Patch. Click here to read the entire story.

The Montville Kiwanis Food Pantry celebrates 15 years of dedicated community service today, April 25th. Marking this significant milestone, the pantry proudly announces a new partnership with Table to Table, Northern New Jersey’s pioneering food rescue organization. This collaboration, launched yesterday will enhance the pantry’s ability to combat food insecurity by providing weekly deliveries of rescued food, starting with breakfast items and baked goods from local Wawa stores.

This partnership represents a major step in the pantry’s ongoing mission to meet the increasing needs of the community through sustainable and cost-effective solutions. As demand for food assistance grows, this initiative will allow the pantry to expand its offerings without increasing operational costs. In March 2025 alone, the pantry supported 413 individuals across 133 visits, including welcoming 7 newly registered households, underscoring the urgency for innovative food sourcing.

“Heading into our 15th year of service, it’s more important than ever that we deepen our impact,” said Danielle Mangione-Vasser, Co-Director of the Montville Kiwanis Food Pantry. “This partnership with Table to Table allows us to expand food access, reduce waste, and better support the hundreds of individuals who count on us—without increasing our operating costs.”

Table to Table is New Jersey’s first and largest food rescue nonprofit, bridging the gap between food being wasted and people facing food insecurity. We bring rescued fresh, nutritious food to 303 community partners, including social service organizations, pantries, shelters, fresh produce markets and centralized distribution hubs. Food is provided free of charge. Through this, Table to Table touches a diversity of those in need, including families, children, veterans, and older adults, making good nutrition accessible while serving as a stimulus for other longer-term benefits. Since 1999 we have rescued more than 120,700 tons of nutritious food—enough for 241,400,846 million meals—and delivered it to our neighbors in need, saving over 544 metric tons of methane saved.

Related:

Editor’s note: This excerpt about Table to Table’s second Partners in Good Health Conference appeared on ROI-NJ’s website May 12. Click here for the complete story.

Table to Table, New Jersey’s first and largest food rescue organization, successfully concluded its second annual Partners in Good Health Conference co-sponsored by Montclair State University’s Social Work and Child Advocacy, College of Humanities and Social Sciences.

The conference is designed to connect, inform and empower the nonprofit’s partner pantries, social service agencies, shelters and other community partners who distribute the food delivered by Table to Table to communities in need throughout Bergen, Essex, Passaic, Hudson and Morris counties.

The daylong event, which took place on the university’s campus, featured subject matter experts in the areas of nutrition, emotional resilience and “micro-habit” changes for better health. The afternoon capped off with a town hall discussion led by New Jersey Office of the Food Security Advocate (OFSA) team members Mark Dinglasan, Dan Dychtwald, Ph.D., MPH, MS and Jemmell’z Washington-Rock, as well New Jersey Assemblywoman Shama D. Haider, who serves as chairwoman for the Assembly Committee on Children, Families, and Food Security.

Table to Table is New Jersey’s first and largest food rescue nonprofit, bridging the gap between food being wasted and people facing food insecurity. We bring rescued fresh, nutritious food to 303 community partners, including social service organizations, pantries, shelters, fresh produce markets and centralized distribution hubs. Food is provided free of charge. Through this, Table to Table touches a diversity of those in need, including families, children, veterans, and older adults, making good nutrition accessible while serving as a stimulus for other longer-term benefits. Since 1999 we have rescued more than 120,700 tons of nutritious food—enough for 241,400,846 million meals—and delivered it to our neighbors in need, saving over 544 metric tons of methane saved.

Related:

Editor’s note: This excerpt about Veer Agarwal and his food rescue club ResQFood, originally appeared on News 12 NJ’s Jersey Proud segment. Click here for their story.

News 12 New Jersey highlighted Veer Agarwal on their Jersey Proud segment Thursday. Agarwal is the founder of ResQFood, a food rescue club at Livingston High School, and a Table to Table Food Rescue Hero. We’ve helped Veer and his team of 30 volunteers perform more than 200 rescues of nutritious food in and around Livingston by coordinating the pick-ups and drop-offs.

“I am a proud volunteer of Table to Table because of what this organization and cause stands for. Every person in New Jersey should have secure access to healthy meals, but the reality is that 1 million people are food insecure and 3 billion pounds of food gets thrown out annually,” Agarwal previously said. “When picking up surplus food from restaurants and donating to local food pantries, I feel satisfied knowing that some family out there is benefitting from my efforts.”

Table to Table is New Jersey’s first and largest food rescue nonprofit, bridging the gap between food being wasted and people facing food insecurity. We bring rescued fresh, nutritious food to 303 community partners, including social service organizations, pantries, shelters, fresh produce markets and centralized distribution hubs. Food is provided free of charge. Through this, Table to Table touches a diversity of those in need, including families, children, veterans, and older adults, making good nutrition accessible while serving as a stimulus for other longer-term benefits. Since 1999 we have rescued more than 120,700 tons of nutritious food—enough for 241,400,846 million meals—and delivered it to our neighbors in need, saving over 544 metric tons of methane saved.

Related:

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